PITB’s The MIX Tech Festival Concludes in Lahore

Punjab Information Technology Board recently held a tech centered festival – The MIX – which kicked off on the 11^th of November and lasted the entire weekend.

A major initiative of PITB, The MIX was an experiential zone focusing on engaging the public by showcasing the excitement of technology. It was a 2-day extravaganza which was held at the Al Hamra Cultural Arts Complex, Gaddafi, Lahore.

The MIX was jam packed with activities that included AR/VR, 3D gaming, Music, Food, Heritage, Health, Finance, Fashion, Media, Kids section, Digital Libraries, Art, Theater etc. All these pavilions were activated through instruments of technology to give you a look and feel of life in a purely digital space.

Supporting PITB in presenting this festival was the Information and Culture Department of Punjab, Information Technology University Lahore, Kinetic Pakistan through outdoor digital advertising, Careem Pakistan, Pepsi, TCS, QMobile, Xiaomi, Fabbitt, Venturedive, Habitt, ProPakistani, PCWorld IDG, British Council Library, Cheetay.pk, Aga Khan Cultural Service Pakistan, Unity3D, My Art World and FM91 as the exclusive radio partner.

Patari powered gigs for the whole day which included the likes of Mehdi Maloof, Shajie, SomeWhatSuper, Abid Brohi, Mughal-e-funk, Roots, Keeray Makoray, Mughal-e-funk, Shamoon Ismail, Madlock and Janoobi Khargosh.

The first day ended with a beautiful cultural performance by the performers of information and culture department, which was followed by a promotional activity by the cast of VERNA which included actress Mahira Khan and actor Haroon Shahid.

Chairman PITB, Dr. Umar Saif, took center stage and addressed over 4,000 people in the auditorium about PITB’s vision in making tech and innovation a household topic. “Technology is enabling and disrupting everything in Pakistan and all of that has come together through this festival.”

The final performance was by Abdullah Qureshi, the up and coming artist from Islamabad, who captivated the entire amphitheater with his energetic presence.

The second day ended on soulful performances by Bakshi Brothers, Qawalistan,  Amna Nawaz, Khamaj and Sibti of the FACE Music Mela. Artists traveled from the northern areas of Pakistan just to be a part of this festival where they gave their first performance in Lahore. Bilal Travels made sure their travel to and from Lahore was comfortable and on time despite the fog on the motorway.

Director Entrepreneurship Nabeel Qadeer, along with his team, designed this festival to promote experience based learning and give a platform to change makers using technology.

Another exciting highlight of the festival was the arrival of a delegation from Austin, Texas as part of PITB’s Plan9-ATX-PAK program who joined in the festivities of The MIX.

PITB invited international venture capitalists, leading tech-preneurs, champions for social change, celebrities of the cricket world, artists and designers who are creating impact through their work to be a part of the panels and talks which served as inspiration for the audience.

Naming a few the event had: Dr. Umar Saif – Chairman Punjab Information Technology Board (PITB), Nabeel A. Qadeer – Director Entrepreneurship and Enterprise Development PITB, Sajid Latif – Director General e-Governance PITB,  Saman Rai – Additional Secretary Information and Culture Department Government of The Punjab, Faisal Sherjan – Director National Incubation Center Lahore, Khurram Zafar – Director National Incubation Center Lahore, Salima Hashmi – Artist and Professor, Dr. Yaqoob Bangash – Assistant Professor Information Technology University, Fasi Zaka – Journalist/Anchor, Chris Scheetz – Managing Partner 1839 Ventures Austin, Jonas Eichhorst – Partner Ahurani Capital, Liz Keehner – Principal 1839 Ventures Austin, Farooq Hussain – Consulting Practice Manager Oracle, Preston Stewart – Global Business Expansion Coordinator, City of Austin Economic Development Department, Waqar Ilyas  – Hospitality Consultant, COTHM, Quddus Mirza – Art Critic, Ali Noor – Musician, Inzamaul Haq, Mushtaq Ahmad to name a few.

The MIX also gave an opportunity to ten startups to be a part of this experience and be able to showcase their breakthrough technology in front of thousands of people.